Male Australian King Parrot

The Australian King Parrot is the largest and one ofthe most beautiful ofthe lnany parrotsfound throughout Australia. They are sexually dimorphic with the lnale being mostly redand theje1nalepred01ninantly green. They need largejlightsjor breeding.

4 February / March 1993

The

AustralianKing

Parrotby Bill Rattray

Garden Grove, California

In the age of specialization, Idecided on a group of very colorfulparrots called king parrots. Startingin 1982, I have worked with threespecies of the king parrots. Theseinclude the Australian King (Alis­terus scapularis) from eastern Aus­tralia, the moszkowskii subspeciesof the Green-winged King (A. chlor­operus) from New Guinea and theAmboina King Parrot (A. amboinen­sis) from several Indonesian islandsincluding Amboina in the southernMoluccas.

King parrots are naturally tame andconfiding, hardy, non-destructive andthe quietest of the mid-sized parrots.

These endearing qualities make thisparrot highly prized by parrot enthu­siasts who are ready for a beautifulbird which will not cause complaintsfrom the neighbors.

The Australian King Parrot is not ashy bird and is commonly seen innearby fields, parks and gardens inAustralia. It is the largest of thebroad-tailed Australian "parakeets,"measuring 17 inches in total length.The adult males have a brilliant redhead in comparison to the adultfemales. A bright, pale green scapularbar above the wings can be seen inthe adult males.

I have been a bird hobbyist for 25years, ten of which I have bred kingparrots. Most of the flimsy literaturewhicll is available on breeding kingparrots would discourage even themost avid aviculturists. But the truthis that the Australian King and theother kings are as easy to breed asany of the other Australian parrots,once you allow them to settle downwith the correct conditions.

I place one pair of king parrots peraviary. The aviaries are eight feetlong, three feet wide and four feet inheight. I have bred king parrots in

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF AVICULTUREDedicated to conservation ofbird wildlife through encouragement of captive breeding programs, scientific research, and education of the general public.

1993 OFFICERSJACK CLiNTON-EITNIEAR, President(512) 828-5306

CHUCK SAFFELL, 1st Vice President(813) 722-0997 JERI WRIGHT, 2nd Vice President (206) 838-9802VICKI FLETCHER, Chief Financial Officer (206) 841-2705 LINDA SUN, Executive Secretary (714) 688-4907

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6 February / March 1993

For information about contacting any of these member clubs,please call that club's state coordinator.

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AFA Board of Directors MeetingFebruary 5 - 7, 1993Las Vegas, Nevada

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gate door.The diet for all my kings is made up

of a variety of foods. A total seed dietwill not produce large, healthy birds.Besides a complete food of pellets, Igive my kings boiled pigeon mix,additional beans, apples, oranges,guava, pomegranates, carrots, kaleand Swiss chard. To this I also offerpyracantha berries, catoneaster andfuschia flowers. All of my kings areprimarily on a pellet diet. Not only dothe birds look better, but the keeperhas less mess to clean up.

I feel it is best to acquire youngstock of king parrots for breeding.Often with older king parrots, youare acquiring someone else's prob­lems. Kings will generally reproducebeginning around 2-1/2 years of age.On rare occasions, a younger birdwill nest successfully. I had an 18­month-old female Green-wingedKing Parrot nest with an older wild­caught male and produce a normalbrood of four youngsters.

I am very careful to use unrelatedstock in my breeding program. Thisis extremely important as relatedstock may cause infertile eggs, dead­in-shell problems or weak babies.

The Australian King Parrot will gen­erally nest in the spring and summermonths. The most active months arefrom February to July. A clutch con­sists of four to five white eggs andhatches in apprOXimately 20 days.Incubation times can vary dependingupon the weather or how tightly theeggs are incubated. I generally allowmy king parrots to rear their ownbabies. There is no problem in cross­fostering between the different spe­cies of king parrots. I have often hada nest containing a baby of each spe­cies - Australian, Green-winged andAmboina King Parrots. They are gen­erally very good parents. On someoccasions, hand-feeding is done andwhen they become adults they willoften alight on your shoulder. Theyare delightful birds

Of the three species of king parrotsI reproduce, the Australian King Par­rot has the mellowest disposition,while the Amboina King Parrot is themost temperamental.

These exquisite and beautifully col­ored parrots can be reproduced quitesuccessfully with a great deal ofpatience, peaceful surroundings, agood maintenance diet and a cleanenvironment. It can be quite a sightobserving 20 to 30 juvenile king par­rots in the large holding aviary at theend of the year.•

cages six to 16 feet long without anynoticeable change in productivity.The cages are suspended three and ahalf feet above the ground. This isdone to eliminate bacteria, fungi andworms. Three gang perches areplaced at each end of the aviary. Themale seems to think that any perchthe female is on is his! This gives thefemale an opportunity to give way to"his majesty" , thus avoiding stress.

Four feet of roof space at each endofthe aviary is completely covered sorain does not enter the food dishes orsoak the nest boxes. Each aviary hassolid partitions along the sides sothere is no visual interaction betweenthe pairs. A male may think that thefemale in the next cage is prettierthan his wife if he could see her. Sec­lusion is very important for the suc­cessful reproduction of king parrots.

Each aviary is designed so there isno need for anyone to enter them. Allfeeding and watering is done fromoutside the aviary. All feeding dishesare slid through service slots at oneend of the aviary so the birds' terri­tory is not violated. This is especiallyimportant during the actual breedingseason. The birds become quite tamewhen you do not enter their domain.

I use three feeding dishes that arespaced vertically on top of eachother so that the lower dishes cannotbecome fouled by the birds. Cleanli­ness is next to godliness when itcomes to breeding birds. Clean drink­ing water, floors, perches and feeddishes are of paramount importance!I use eight inch square stainless steelcake pans which are washed everyday and replaced with clean ones. Ikeep two sets of pans. One set is inthe wash while the other is in use.

I have an automatic watering sys­tem which allows the birds to toucha release valve and obtain a drop ofwater. These are waterers "without abowl," as I feel bowls of water can becontaminated five minutes aftercleaning with dunked food and anddefecation. This way there is no bac­terial build-up from open dishes ofstanding water.

The nest box used for king parrotsmeasures four feet in vertical lengthby one foot wide and one foot deep.Clean pine shavings are used for nest­ing materials. Each nest box is placedoutside of each aviary. A safety aisleencloses the complete area wherethe nest boxes are hung in case anybird chews through a nest andescapes. A double safety is provided,utilizing a draft screen on the safety

Aleffa M. Long, regional v.p.(213) 596-7429

CALIFORNIA (SOUTHERN)SAN DIEGO AREA:State coordinator:Marty Muschlnske (619) 468-3201Finch Society of San Diego CountyHookbill Hobbyists of Southern

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Breeders

Southern CaliforniaRegion

Capitol City Bird SocietyCentral California Avian SocietyCentral Coast Avicultural SocietyCoastal Avian SocietyContra Costa Avian SocietyFoothill Bird FanciersGold Country Avicullure SocietyGold Country Bird SocietyMonterey Bay Cage Bird ClubRedwood Empire Cage Bird ClubRedwood Exotic Bird SocietySanta Clara Valley Bird ClubWestern Bird Breeders Society

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(808) 672-9966Avian Research Association

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AssociationHi Desert Bird ClubLong Beach Bird BreedersNorco Valley Bird BreedersOrange County Bird BreedersSanta Barbara Bird CI ubSouth Bay Bird ClubValley of Paradise Bird ClubVentura County Bird ClubWest Valley Bird Society

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Northern CaliforniaRegion

Gary Clifton, regional vice pres.(602) 830-4920

ARIZONAState coordinator:Michelle Rietz (602) 973-9282Arizona Avian Breeders Assoc.Arizona Aviculture SocietyArizona Seed Crackers SocietyAvicultural Society of TucsonYuma-Imperial Exotic Bird Club

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Aviculture, Inc.

NEVADAState coordinator:Robert Gibson (702) 645-7608Las Vegas Avicultural Society

NEW MEXICOState coordinator:Kelly Tucker (505)298-3876Las Cruces Parrot ClubNew Mexico Bird Club

UTAHState coordinator:Rex Kennedy (801) 571-6183Avicullural Society of UtahUtah Pheasant Society

WYOMINGState coordinator:

AFA CONVENTION 1993August 3 - 8

(Tuesday thru Sunday)Salt Lake City, UtahLittle America Hotel

Donna Tondreault, regional v.p.(916) 642-9050

CALIFORNIA (NORTH)State coordinator:Joanne Abramson

(707) 964-4380Antelope Valley Bird SocietyAviary Association of KernAviculture Association of

san FranciscoButte County Bird Club

afa WATeRBIRD 7